I am a system administrator and I manage several Linux servers remotely. To do my job, sometimes I had to connect to my servers via Windows 10. To do this I need a reliable SSH client software for Windows 10. I tried many SSH clients for Windows 10 but there is only a few software that I think are very good.
The Best SSH Client for Windows 10
A. Termius
Termius is a freemium SSH client software for Windows. It comes with a simple and nice user interface. It does not come with a built-in file manager. But for me, it is a perfect companion for me. If I had to use the file manager to transfer files then I use Putty, the next SSH client we will discuss.
Features:
- Freemium
- Multi-platform (Mac, Windows, and Linux)
- Simple and easy to use
- Multi hosts management
- Supports SSH, Telnet and mosh
- Private key support
B. Putty
Putty is a well-known SSH client for Windows. Personally, I have been using this for years now. Putty has more features compared to Termius. You can connect via SSH, Telnet, Rlogin or even X11 forwarding. Putty also supports various proxy types such as SOCKS4, SOCKS5. With this proxy, you can create an SSH tunnel between your local computer and your remote server.
Features:
- Free
- Relatively easy to use
- More features
- SSH tunnel support
- Multiple sessions
- Allow saving sessions
- Support X11 forwarding
C. WinSCP
Those previous two SSH clients I mentioned before does not have a graphical file manager. If you are looking for a secure SSH client with a built-in file manager, then WinSCP is your choice. WinSCP works very well with Putty. If you install both applications, you will have a fully functioning SFTP3 file manager and full feature ssh command line.
Features:
- Built-in file manager
- Supports folder synchronization between the local and remote server
- Can edit some type of files directly from WinSCP window
- Multi sessions
D. Bitvise SSH Client
Bitvise SSH Client is one of the best SSH clients for Windows 10. I do love this software. It comes with an SSH terminal and a file manager. We can easily browse, upload or download files to the remote server using Bitvise.
Features:
- Free
- Supports SSH, RDP, SFTP and many more
- Built-in file manager
- Allows to save profiles
- Easy to use, nice user interface
E. Secure Shell Extension for Google Chrome
If you don’t want to install SSH client on your PC, you may consider this SSH extension for Google Chrome. Secure Shell Extension for Google Chrome is a free SSH agent that can be used to connect to remote computer via SSH. It uses the Google Chrome window as the terminal.
Secure Shell is an xterm-compatible terminal emulator and stand-alone ssh client for Chrome. It uses Native-Client to connect directly to ssh servers without the need for external proxies.
Get Secure Shell Extension for Chrome
Feature:
- Simple
- Quick connect to any ssh server
- Google Chrome integration
Cons:
You won’t be able to save any profiles or sessions. It does not have a built-in file manager.
I know there are many great SSH Client for Windows 10 out there. Maybe I will add more software to this list in the future. I hope you enjoy the article. Please leave us your thoughts or any suggestions. Cheers
I had never used the SSH extension on Chrome and I was impressed!
I couldn’t agree more with regards to BitWise. I’ve actually bought the server version of it and it’s been running flawlessly for years! I use the client to reverse SSH a few machines as it works best with the server edition.
Putty has always been my companion since my university days of 2000 but I feel that now, it’s a bit outdated. Don’t get me wrong, all the features are there and I use it daily because it’s allowed by the IT Sec in the organisation I work with, but the menus are user unfriendly I think.
Have you ever tried SmarTTY? I’ve tried it a couple of years ago and since then I’ve been using the portable version like I use my pocketknife. I manage roughly 20+ computers and it’s installed onto every Windows machine I SSH from.
It’s Free, it has a modern user friendly interface, all the options you could wish for, a filemanager, an “advanced” ssh terminal with auto-complete function (which in my case works very well) and it supports Telnet and SFTP and SCP! It’s brilliant I tell you! Give it a try